Mercedes driver George Russell has made a bold prediction following the conclusion of the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. The British racer is of the opinion that Red Bull Racing will win every race of the 2023 Formula 1 season after dominating Sunday’s race.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez led the Red Bull team to a one-two finish in both qualifying and the race, with Fernando Alonso finishing over 38 seconds behind in third place in his Aston Martin.
Mercedes struggled for performance, with Russell finishing in seventh position while his teammate and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton ended the evening in fifth. However, the ease with which Red Bull emerged as victors all through the race has led Russell to believe that no other team can match the Milton Keynes squad, especially on race day.
Centre stage again #BahrainGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/JbVNJleoi4
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 5, 2023
“Red Bull has got this championship sewn up, I don’t think anyone is going to be fighting with them this year. I expect they should win every single race this season. That is my bet,” Russell said after the race. “With the performance they’ve got I don’t see anyone challenging them.”
“Their pace seems weaker this weekend than it was in testing, which was a bit strange. But, you know, they’ve got it easy at the moment, and they can do what they like.
“They might not get on pole all of the time, because we know that Ferrari are very competitive in qualifying. But when it comes to race pace, I think they’re in a very, very strong position.”
Mercedes sits in third place in the constructors’ champions with 16 points after the opening round, 27 points behind leaders Red Bull. The next stop on the record 23-race calendar for the year is at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on March 19.
